Current City Law

At the City Council meeting on March 7, 2017, the City Attorney’s Office made a presentation to City Council concerning the City of Chico’s local regulatory authority per Proposition 64, the “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” (“AUMA” and/or “Prop 64”), the regulatory implications of Prop 64, and the City’s regulatory options.

19.75.010 Purpose

A. The purpose of this Chapter is to expressly prohibit commercial marijuana activity in theCity of Chico, whether the marijuana is for medical or recreational purposes.

19.75.020 Definitions

G. “Delivery” shall mean the transfer of marijuana, including the use of any technologyplatform to arrange for or facilitate the transfer of marijuana, by any business, cooperative, or
collective, whether or not carried on for profit, to or from any location within the City of Chico.

According to the city attorney’s staff report, “The Chico Police Department believes that allowing outdoor marijuana grows (medical and non-medical) will exacerbate an already high crime level.”

On Nov 7, 2017, the Chico City Council voted 4-3 to pass a city ordinance strictly regulating the use, sale and growing of marijuana. Ordinance 2505 addsChapter 19.75 to the city code. The chapter prohibits ALL commercial cannabis activity including retail sales for medicinal and recreational cannabis, sets up a permitting process for indoor personal grow only, and prohibits use within designated areas of the city. [1] This had the effect of shutting down previously city-legal medicinal cannabis dispensaries. The four council-members who voted “YES” in support of Ordinance 2505 are: Mark Sorensen, Andrew Coolidge, Vice Mayor Reanette Fillmer, andMayor Sean Morgan. Council-members Sorensen, Coolidge, and Fillmer are all up for re-election in 2018.

Pro-Cannabis Activism

In November & December 2017, an ad-hoc group headed by Samuel Monteon, CEO of Chico-based Fire Pharmaceuticals, and Jacob Hopkins, owner of Sweet Amber in Chico, started a petition to overturn the city council's decision to prohibit all cannabis sales.[1] [2] [3] According to the Chico City Clerk the petition needed 5,000 signatures from registered voters to make it on the local ballot within 30-days of the vote to make it on the ballot. The petition failed to garner the needed signatures, but the backers say they are confident that they've created more awareness, and as of January 2018 have created a new pro-cannabis organization, the Chico Cannabis Association, and are working with some local farmers, distributors, and manufacturers with the goal of repealing the city ordinance.. Another group working to change local policy is the Inland Cannabis Farmers' Association.